Chapter twelve

Victor

I slowly rolled my bike in to the lot at the McDonald’s that I was supposed to meet with Alex, while I was indeed on disguise, I wouldn’t want to still call attention to myself. It’ll be a bad day if I have to start signing autographs and have my pictures taken. I just want to be with my friend today.

As I walked into the restaurant, I sighted Alex at a far end table, a position we were used to as well, mainly because of me, I needed a place where I could see all who entered the restaurant without being obvious and this table turned out to be the best and since then, it had been our only table here.

Alex was talking with someone who was backing me, and although the figure did seem familiar by body build, it still took Alex to actually tell say something and for me to see the person’s face before I could fully recollect who the person was. “Hey Vic, look who we have here” were Alex’ words as the figure slowly turned to face me, “Danny?!” I said in disbelief as yet again I was looking at another old friend face to face.

“In the flesh, how you been Vic?!” Danny replied me and stood up to get out from between the table and chair. “Danny!” I said again and we bro hugged it out tightly, I could almost cry even though the contacts would worsen things.

Danny and Alex has both been my best buds since our college days, we had this plan of starting a multiple multilinked business together that was meant to be huge, but that all ended when my dad became very ill and I had to come back and take over his company lest the wolves and sharks descended on one of our main source of wealth.

I even had to be receiving lectures from home whilst still running the affairs of my dad’s company, and it took these two as well who supported me all through the transition. After Dad got better, he came back to see the company excel with a major boom of about seventeen percent, and I had also recovered some of our shares from those who weren’t supposed to have ever had shares with our company. Well that was enough evidence for him that I was capable of running the whole company so he left the position of CEO for me and demoted himself to COO, to most people, I’m just a model and TV star, but to a few others I’m also the CEO of L.W Corp since before I even graduated college.

Now back to Danny, my buddy is back and now both he and Alex were here, the trio was back I guess, I thought back to our college days, it was a rowdy one, there was always drinking and messing around with ladies even though I was the one who always took the lead on that aspect, reminiscing about it brought fresh stinging tears to my eyes which I blinked away.

“Well I have to say, V, you’re now a big man, you built well into your frame, I totally didn’t expect this transition from the guy who most hated to hit the gym amongst us three” Danny said and gave me a side hug.

“Shut up you man whore, I was always meant to be this way” I said laughing and both he and Alex laughed too, it was no secret amongst us that Danny is Bi, so he’ll take any chance he got to admire you like he was really checking you out. Little did they both know that what actually caused my so called transformation was not of this world.

“I really can’t believe I’m seeing you again V. You left us back in college and came to New Mexico to become a hot shot right! You jerk! Your posters litter the whole city and you even had to come out using disguises” He said whilst shaking his head seemingly in awe.

“C’mon man, let’s sit and talk” I said walking over to get a sit for myself beside Alex facing Danny.

“Yeah, you have so many explanations to give V and I want listen to them all. Firstly, when we were in college, you never told us that you were a Lockwood not till your Dad’s incident and you had to come back home while we held the fort back at school. Secondly, you are such a big star now, your rise to fame was like a skyrocket, I can’t shake the feeling that you’ve always had that in mind despite our plans to create a multi business, so tell me am I right?” he said after sitting down as well and I laughed and took a look at Alex, he as well was having a thrill of a moment, I really wish I could tell them the whole story, what had really happened to me, but then, knowing might be even more dangerous for them than it would be for me.

“First of all, I really need a drink to get my mouth wet, it’s so dry right now.” I said eyeing Alex quizzically, he knew enough, at least to a satisfactory extent, so why didn’t Danny? I guess Alex did not explain to Danny in turn then, typical of him to act like such a dick, I really thought he would have explained things to Danny just like I explained to him, at least while I was closer to him than Danny, he was still closer to Danny than I was.

I sighed and signaled the waitress to come take my order of a chocolate milkshake, the entity in me detested such drinks, it preferred vintage wine, but I have to indulge myself too every now and then, I can’t bend totally to his every whim.

“Ok, you’ve had your drink, now start talking before I think of the different ways I can dish out some serious pain to you both, cos you both keep sharing knowing looks so I’m guessing Alex is in the know already, last I checked I’m still a part of this triangle of friends, so I believe I need to be in the know too, so you two knock it off and someone better start explaining” Danny said in a playful manner but his real anger and other emotions like disappointment were pretty obvious in his voice.

“Ok you need to calm down man, stop the nagging, you sound like an old housewife” Alex said to Danny, I’m sure he actually also meant to joke but his tone was a tad bit on the serious side than the joking side and Danny reacted to that right away.

“Really? Is that what you would say to me? I’m the nagging old housewife now because I want to know what has been going on with my friend since he seemingly deserted us and all our plans for the future? Will I still be a nagging old housewife if I ask you how well have you been doing with your life? Is this where you envisioned that you’ll be by now? Still lapping up droplets from Victor’s hands rather than being independent, so far he is the only one that has made it big amongst us three, and granted he comes from wealth but still he made it independently, nothing he is doing to make his own money and fame is in line with LW Corp, I believe I deserve to know why he abandoned our plans and decided to go solo, so if I’m a nagging old housewife for that, then that’s exactly what I am” Danny said at a stretch, he was almost fuming, dangerously close to getting really angry, I knew I had to diffuse the whole situation lest it escalates far beyond this, but I didn’t know what to say or do except to just laugh.

I started to laugh and eventually it took me over and I was laughing really hard, very short seconds into my laughter, they both joined in too and we all laughed like three old men who had been friends for a really long time.

“Ok c’mon guys, let’s stop all this arguing over nothing, I for one don’t see a reason to have contempt amongst us here, we are one and the same” I said to them both as I used and handkerchief to dab at the tears in my eyes from all the laughing, “You are right Danny” I continued, “You do deserve to know how and why things happened the way they did to get to this point that we are, I hope my explanation would be satisfactory enough, I’ll try my best to answer your questions as well, so please, let’s let all this diffuse” I said, finally getting the words to use to placate them both.

A sense of calm that is more than just physical descended amongst us after that, Danny nodded his willingness to listen to my explanation now, so I delved into explaining properly to him why things

got fixed for me this way, from the fact that I had to fill in for my dad as CEO when he was down and ill, back when we were still in college, to the fact that I was made permanent CEO even after my dad returned and in the course of trying to direct the affairs of the company but secretly, I headed into a different career line that the company wasn’t involved in at all, the entertainment world and from there my career as a model and TV star kicked off. I explained that it wasn’t that I abandoned our plans, but rather there was no possible way for me still hang on to those plans because of all that had suddenly been dumped unto my laps.

Danny did seem satisfied enough by my explanation, he made me to understand as much when he said he was actually really happy that I had made it big as that was the whole point of making the plans, but he did instruct me to not let go of the plans since I was even in a position to better help make the plans come to fruition.

“So V, ma man, is there any girl we should know about, there should be by now right? You may be hiding out from the media but you wouldn’t hide it from us, would you?” Danny asked, digressing totally from the topic, I guess there was no need a talk about it anymore since he was already satisfied with the explanation he got.

“Ugh, c’mon Danny, there really is no girl, hidden or otherwise” I answered at first and then took another sip of my milkshake before I continued “You both know that I don’t believe in true love and all that lovey dovey shit. Them ladies these days are only after money and nothing else. That’s why I only play around with those I feel are worth it and then, I move on with my life, until the next adventure comes swinging by, there really is no time to settle on any lady for now” I said rolling my eyes as I took the straw to my mouth again and slurped some slightly chilled chocolate milkshake.

“I do think you are getting some things wrong still my friend, I know we lived a rowdy life back on campus at college but when you get serious, there really is more to it than just playing around or adventures and all that, I tell you, the woman in my life now is the one, it’s just so clear to me and it wasn’t just love that did that, there were many other factors like understanding, respect and care and so on” Alex answered me and I just couldn’t believe it was the same Alex I knew that was talking this way, he must have hit his head pretty hard sometimes ago.

“Ugh” Danny said in reply, “Well, we’ll be here to console you after the gruesome breakup you are headed for, better to protect your heart now though, trust me, anyone can fail your trust at anytime, better to just have a casual thing with them and move on once it ends, there are enough woman and men out there for everyone three times over” he said and I made to fist bump with him.

“Oh Danny, really? That’s is just disgusting, we don’t all have the double option ok, some of us gotta stick to what we like” Alex answered feigning disgust and we all laughed at that.

“Your loss man, well, I’m only just trying to speak some sense into you, take it or leave it” Danny said with a smirk and a wink at Alex.

“You jerk” Alex answered again also smirking “I’m leaving it, your advice be the worst in the world” he said and we all still found that funny and laughed heartily. When I’m with these guys, I

get to be free, to be myself, I rarely fell that way except it’s with family, with them I feel unbounded, even though there is still that part of me that I don’t think I could ever show to them.

My thoughts took another turn, there was someone else though, someone I just encountered, yet this person is making me feel like I could abandon all reason and show my entire self, even the dark side. I actually wonder if it’ll be possible for me to show myself to her and if or when I do, will she be able to withstand it and still stay? Well I do hope so, because I’d have to kill her if she sees that part of me and bails instead.